Meet the Marauders
by JacquelineHyde114
Summary: My idea of the Marauders' first year at Hogwarts.
1. Meet James

Disclaimer – I don't own Harry Potter or any characters…too bad for me…

Kings Cross. James Potter couldn't believe it. Finally, after so many countless weeks, days, hours, minutes, he was standing in front of the barrier to Platform 9 and ¾, which would lead him to the Hogwarts Express. How long had he and his best friend been dreaming of this day? Practically since the day they had met. They had it all planned out. They would be in the same house (Gryffindor of course), they would ace all of their classes, but most important of all, they would be the greatest troublemakers Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry had ever seen.

"James, we only have 10 minutes! We better get hurrying." His father told him. James felt a wave of excitement course through his body. This was his moment. He broke out in a run, heading straight for the seemingly solid brick wall. He was almost there…

He stopped abruptly. So abruptly in fact that his parents ran right into him and nearly sent him flying over his trunk. "James? What in the world?" His mother asked.

"I can't!" James said.

"Of course you can. You're not nervous are you?"

"No! It's just…"

"What? Are you sick?" James rolled his eyes at his mother.

"No! I just have to wait for Sirius."

"James..." His mother moaned.

"Mum…" James moaned back at her.

"You know son, I'm sure he won't mind if go on without him."

"But Dad, we've been planning this day since we were 6! 6! I can't just run through without him!"

"Well, he'd better get here soon, or both of you are going to miss the train."


	2. Meet Sirius

"Mother! MOTHER! Get down here! I have to leave! NOW!" Sirius Black shouted to his mother, who was currently upstairs trying to make herself look as vastly superior to everyone else as possible. Sirius looked at his watch and groaned. 10:47. The Hogwarts Express left at 11. He was never going to make it in time. He had all his things ready, it was waiting on his mother that was the problem. "Mother! No one cares how you look! I need to GO!" He yelled again. "I mean it Mother! I will leave without you!" He turned to gather his things. The door behind him opened. "Final - oh no. Kreacher! What do you want?"

Their extremely ugly house-elf sunk into a rather disrespectful bow and said, "Mistress sent Kreacher down to tell Young Master not to yell and that she is getting ready."

"Yeah, well you can hurry back up the stairs and tell your prissy Mistress that Young Master has to be at Kings Cross in less than 10 minutes." Sirius snapped.

Instead of obeying, Kreacher looked at Sirius. "Why is Young Master so willing to go to school? Mistress tells Kreacher that school is full of scum: nasty, filthy half-breeds and Mudbloods. No self-respecting wizard would willingly set foot in such a place."

"Kreacher! Just get out!" Sirius yelled. Kreacher ignored him.

"But Young Master, he is a bad boy. He's not like us."

"I've had enough of this." Sirius muttered angrily. He gathered his things and headed for the front door.

"Young Master must not take another step! He shall-"

"Oh shut up you horrible wretch or I'll give you a sock." Sirius said irritably. He slammed the door behind him as he dragged his stuff outside. He held out his brand new wand with his right hand. With a loud BANG a purple bus appeared: The Knight Bus.

As the door opened, Sirius nearly ran the conductor over as he said quite loudly, "Kings Cross! Step on it!"


	3. Meet Remus

"You sure are being quiet Remus. Are you ok?" Remus Lupin looked away from the scarlet steam engine and up at his mother.

"I'm fine Mum." He replied, although it was a total lie. He had never been more nervous in his entire life. Sure, he had wanted to go to Hogwarts since he was little. To live the adventures his parents had told him about with the ghosts, the secret passageways, and the mysterious Forbidden Forest, but he never thought he would. He had been sure he would never be accepted into Hogwarts. Then Albus Dumbledore had been made Headmaster and had found no reason why he shouldn't receive a magical education. This would be an entirely new world, filled with kids just like him.

_No, not just like me._

"Now Remus, if you decide you want to come home, you just owl us and I'm sure Dumbledore will understand." His father said.

"I won't. I want to go." He said truthfully. He wanted to learn and to experience the pleasures of being a normal kid. More than anything, he wanted friends. But that was something easier dreamed than obtained. Once people found out what he was, they were polite to his face, but never made an effort to get close to him or be around him. Why should anyone here be any different?

"If you're sure. I guess it's time to say good-bye then." His mother said tearfully. This would definitely be the hardest part. Remus swallowed a knot that had been growing in his throat and hugged his parents.

"I love you." He said.

"We love you too son. More than anything." His father said. His mother kissed him on the cheek.

"Now, you behave yourself." She said with a bit of a grin. She knew her son better than to believe he would get into serious trouble. Remus gave a small smile before ascending onto the train and out of sight.


	4. Ride on the Train

Just a note – I wrote this before reading _The Half-Blood Prince_, so Snape's character may be a bit off…

"Will you boys please be on your best behavior?" Mrs. Potter begged James and Sirius.

"No."

"Please?"

"No."

"Will you at least try to behave yourselves?"

"No."

"For one day?"

"No."

"Boys, just lie to her." Mr. Potter told them.

"We'll be good." The way they said everything together, one would have thought they were twins. Mrs. Potter glared at her husband.

"I guess it's about time for you boys to get going. You don't want to miss the train." Mr. Potter told them. Tears sprung into Mrs. Potter's eyes.

"Bye Mum! Bye Dad! I love you guys!" James said.

"Yeah! Bye Mr. and Mrs. Potter! Thanks!" Sirius called.

"Boys wait!" Mrs. Potter hurried after them and gave them each a quick kiss on the cheek.

"Mum! Way to spoil my chances of being named Quidditch Captain!" James said jokingly. Sirius however didn't seem to mind. James knew his best friend came from a family that cared more about being pureblooded than a good person and that Sirius was sort of the black sheep of the family. Needless to say, his family had never treated him as if they loved him very much, and yet they still expected him to become a Slytherin.

After the doors were closed, James and Sirius began looking for a place to sit. This proved to be somewhat of a challenge. Every compartment was full of people. One full of chattering girls. The next full of a group of not-so-friendly-looking boys ("Slytherin." Sirius muttered). Finally, they reached the very last compartment, which was empty: or almost empty. A boy with light brown hair and tired gray eyes looked up at them as they entered. After a long awkward silence, James said, "Hey."

"Hi." The boy answered somewhat uneasily.

"Er…do you mind if we sit here?" James asked. The boy looked genuinely shocked, but quickly got over it.

"I don't mind. If you really want to that is."

"Well, it's either this or standing out in the hall." James said before realizing that that may have sounded a bit rude. The boy looked away, back out the window. "What's you're name?" James asked after yet another awkward silence. The boy looked back at him.

"Remus Lupin." He answered.

"I'm James Potter. Are you a first year?"

"Yes."

"So are we." Sirius said. "My name's Sirius Black." Remus's eyes seemed to widen for a second, but he quickly recovered.

"It's nice to meet you." He said and went back to staring out the window.

_Wow, what a talker. _James thought sarcastically.

A thousand confused thoughts were going through Remus's mind. A Black. He was sharing a compartment with a Black. His parents had told him that although there were many pureblooded families that thought they were superior, the Blacks were one of the worst. For another thing, they had a reputation of being Dark wizards. His mother had warned him to avoid their company. But the Potters he had always heard were respectful and kind. While they were both pureblooded families, neither would usually be seen in the others company. So why were these two hanging out together? Even though they seemed nice enough, Remus felt somewhat out of place. Not just because of what he was this time, but because he was a halfblood.

"So Remus, what house do you want?" Sirius made yet another attempt at conversation. Remus snapped out of his stupor and observed them. James was a bit shorter and skinnier than Sirius. Both had black hair, but James's stuck out in many different directions while Sirius's fell elegantly over his gray eyes. James's hazel eyes were framed behind thin glasses.

"I would like to be in Gryffindor. But my mum was in Ravenclaw, so that wouldn't be too bad I guess." He answered.

"I want Gryffindor, no questions asked. Of course, being his great-great-great something or other grandson, I doubt I'll have any problems." James smiled with satisfaction. Remus stared at him in awe.

"You're related to Godric Gryffindor?" He asked.

"Yep." James said proudly.

"Wow…" Remus said.

"I would love to be in Gryffindor. My parents would hit the roof. But if we're going by blood, I might as well sew the Slytherin crest onto my robes right now, because I'm doomed." Sirius said with a frown.

"Why?" Remus asked.

Sirius smiled. They were finally getting Remus to warm up to them. He had seen the way that Remus had looked when he said that he was a Black. _My family's reputation proceeds me. Great._

"Because no one except my cousin Andromeda has ever made anything except Slytherin. She was in Ravenclaw and disowned. I'm just hoping I can be just as lucky." Sirius explained.

"Oh." Remus replied. He went back to staring out the window. Sirius looked at James. Maybe getting Remus to open up was going to be harder than they thought. He seemed nice, though an introvert obviously. He was on the shorter skinnier side. He seemed to have very little self-confidence. A knock on the door interrupted Sirius' thoughts.

"Anything to eat dears?" The witch with the food trolley asked.

"Something of everything!" Sirius said excitedly, forgetting everything about Remus' mysterious ways. James laughed at his best friend's eagerness.

"Same here." He said. "You want anything Remus?"

"Er…I'll take some chocolate frogs." He said, reaching into his pocket for some money.

"Oh come on! Get more than that!" Sirius told him. Turning to the witch and pulling out some more money, he said, "He'll have everything too."

"What? No! It's really -" Remus looked amazed.

"Shut up and take it." Sirius said, shoving an armful of candy at Remus, who was looking speechless. "No, you don't have to pay for it!" He told him as Remus tried to hand him some silver.

"No! Let me-"

"Keep it!"

"Are you sure?"

"Yes! Believe me, my family's not exactly suffering."

"If you're sure -"

"Remus, if you are always this difficult, I'm not sure if I want to share a room with you. Now KEEP IT!"

"Thanks." He said with a smile. It was the first time he had smiled in their presence.

"Finally." Sirius said, but he smiled too.

"You'd be wise not to try and start an argument with Sirius. You'll always lose." James laughed.

"I can believe that." Remus said, still smiling.

"So Remus, you like Quidditch?" Sirius asked.

"He's kind of random at times as well." James told him. Remus laughed. This was progress.

"I like it, but I'm not much of an athlete. I'd rather watch."

"Ok. Better than saying 'It's a foul game! A foolish waste of time!'" Sirius said.

"Who says that?" James looked shocked and appalled.

"My mother." Sirius said.

"Ah yes. Why did I ask?" James wondered.

"So, how long have you two known each other?" Remus asked. This was definitely progress.

"Since we were 6. We met one fateful afternoon at the Magical Menagerie. That was a day to remember." James looked wistful.

"Yeah, I try to forget it." Sirius said. Remus laughed. "No! I'm serious-"

"Yes we know." James laughed.

"That pun is going to be more ancient than your loony old grandma before long." Sirius said. "But that afternoon was horrible."

"Why?" Remus looked interested.

"Have you ever had a puffskein tongue up your nose?" Sirius asked.

"No." Remus eyed him strangely.

"You don't want to." Sirius said with a shudder. James laughed out loud.

"You see Remus, the first time I saw Sirius, he had a puffskein tongue up his nose, dining on his 6-year-old bogies. And poor little Sirius is just there, screaming like a little girl, trying to get the tongue out of his nose."

"You'd scream too if there was this demonic little creature sticking its long slimy tongue up your nose. But I was not screaming like a little girl."

"Yes you were. Don't even try to deny it."

"I hadn't gone through puberty yet!"

"You still haven't you prat." Turning to Remus, who had a huge smile of amusement on his face, James said, "Anyway, I knew right away that the goofy kid with the puffskein tongue up his nose was destined to be my best friend."

"And I knew right away that the stupid kid with scraggly hair and glasses was fated to annoy me until the end of my days." Sirius said. As they laughed, their compartment door slid open and a boy with greasy black hair and a big hooked nose stood in the doorway.

"Excuse me." He said, disgustedly. James, Sirius, and Remus looked up.

"Yes?" James asked in a what-do-you-want tone.

"Oh never mind." The boy started to leave, looking annoyed.

"No! There has to be a reason you came. Now spit it out!" James said.

"Very well. I was looking for Sirius Black, but a boy from such a respectable family wouldn't be caught dead in the midst of you." The boy replied.

"I wouldn't bet on that." Sirius snapped, not liking the boy's attitude one bit. "What do you want with me?"

"Wh - You? You're-"

"The one and only. Now why are you looking for me?"

"Well," the boy was still clearly trying to get over his shock. "My name is Severus Snape. Our parents are good friends I'm told and-"

"Anyone who is good friends with my parents is more than likely not going to be very good friends with me." Sirius interrupted. "Unless of course you feel that all that pureblood filth is a load of rubbish. Then by all means, you're quite welcome here." Severus stared at him, apparently at a loss for words.

"I never thought I would see the day when a member of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black would declare himself a blood traitor in public." He said finally.

"Oh for Heavens sake, does everyone know about that dumb crest?" Sirius looked as if being reminded of his family was giving him a very bad headache.

"Well, only the oldest and noblest purebloods, but yes." For the first time, Snape turned his attention to James and Remus. "And who are you?"

"I happen to be his best friend. James Potter." James introduced himself. "I might also add that I come from a family of pureblooded Aurors so if you have any problems with that-"

"Ugh…a Potter." Severus looked even more disgusted. "I don't think much of your taste in company, Black. Neither would your parents."

"Oh, horror." Sirius looked like he was getting pretty tired of this whole mess.

"And who are _you_?" Severus looked at Remus, who had shrunken back to his introverted, staring-at-his-feet self.

"Remus Lupin." He said quietly.

"Lupin huh? Never heard of you."

"I'm not a pureblood." He replied just as quietly.

"Ah yes, of course, you can tell the type a mile away-"

"THAT'S IT! GET OUT!" James bellowed.

"But-"

"You heard me! OUT!"

"Or what Potter?" Snape said coldly. "You'll sic your parents on me?" James glared daggers at him.

"I'll beat you to a slimy, writhing pulp that's what I'll do!" He said.

"I don't see what I did wrong."

"You come in here with this bloody arrogant attitude, start making bloody outrageously conceited comments, and then you insult my friends and you don't see what you did wrong?" James asked incredulously.

"I am entitled to my opinion."

"Yeah, well so am I. And I think that you're a pathetic ignorant twit who goes about looking for people to insult." James snapped.

"You've wasted enough of our time." Sirius said to him. "Get out."

"Fine." Snape said coolly. He cast one final glare at Sirius before sliding the door shut.

"Have you ever met a greasier git in your life?" Sirius asked.

"Never. I don't know who he thinks he is. Coming in and saying such a load of rubbish." James said. "You ok Remus?" He noticed their new friend had been sucked back into his little anti-social portal.

"Yes." He replied.

"You can't let filthy prats like him get to you." Sirius told him.

"I know." He said.

"Then snap out of it! Come on! You talked to us before and you didn't burst into flames. You can do it again!" Sirius said. Remus looked up and smiled a bit.

"Thanks." Remus said.

"You know what your problem is mate?" James asked. "You have no self confidence at all. I don't mean that in a bad way, it's just, you're a nice person, you're polite, you're fun to talk to once you open up, and no one turns to stone if they look at you." Remus laughed.

"Thanks." He grinned.

"Any time. Now will you please drop the no-one-should-want-to-hang-out-with-me-for-no-reason act?" James asked.

Remus didn't know how to reply. Sirius had just defied everything he had been raised to believe and stood up for the halfblood. _And the half-breed_. James had done the same thing and had just told him there was no reason for Remus to be scared that no one wanted to be around him. He didn't know how wrong he was. Remus had a perfectly good reason to believe no one wanted to be around him. And once James and Sirius found out, he wasn't sure if they'd be so keen to be in his presence. Why should they? No one wanted to be in the presence of a monster…

"Yeah. Sorry."

"There's nothing to be sorry about. We just want you to know that we're not going to heave you out the window if you want to take part in a conversation." Sirius said.

"That's nice to know." Remus said with a smile.

"Though of course after a conversation with Sirius, you might be willing to heave yourself out the window." James joked.

"Thanks mate."

"Any time."

After another silence, Sirius said, "I wonder what time it is?"

"Time for you to get-"

"I forbid you to finish that James Potter."

"Fine."

Sirius yawned. "I'm bored. We need to do something."

"Like what?" Remus asked.

"I don't know. Get in trouble or something."

"Trouble?" Remus asked timidly.

"Yeah. It's Sirius' solution to everything. When in doubt, get in trouble."

"What kinds of trouble?"

"Not bad trouble or anything, like the kind that can land you in Azkaban." Sirius assured him. "Just simple pranks."

"Dungbombs."

"Robes changing colors."

"You know, the typical prank stuff."

"Do you like pulling pranks on people?" Remus asked them.

"Are you kidding? It's our way of life."

"Our passion."

"Our destiny!" Sirius concluded dramatically.

"Ok, no more sugar for Sirius." James said.

"You keep your filthy hands off my sugar!" Sirius said, holding a box of Bertie Botts' Every Flavor Beans protectively.

"Ooh! Bertie Botts! We could have some fun with this…" James said with an evil grin.

"Oh no…"

"Oh yes, Remus my friend." James said, still smiling. Sirius looked equally excited.

"James and I have these little competitions all the time, like who can stand the most different kinds in their mouth at once without having to spit them all out."

"Or combining the grossest flavors and giving it to the other, who happens to be blind-folded." Both James and Sirius were grinning like mad. Remus looked a little frightened.

"So Remus, you wanna give it a try?" Sirius asked. Remus gulped.

"Sure, why not?" He still looked very unsure of what he was about to do.

"Great!" James said. "So, do we want to see who can stand to have the most in their mouth since we are not in possession of a blind-fold?"

"Sure." Sirius said.

"Ok. Rules of the game. We each start by reaching in and grabbing and eating one at a time. You grab the first one you feel. No looking and no trading. I don't care if you get vomit, no trading. Then, once we've all eaten the first one, we grab two, then three, then so on. Who ever feels like they can't handle it anymore drops out and the other two continue. The one who stands it the longest will be crowned King Bertie."

"That's a new twist." Sirius said interestedly.

"Yeah, well, we've never played with three people before." James said. "Now, we shouldn't run out any time soon as we have 1, 2, 3…7 boxes. I thank you, Sirius, for being the human garbage disposal."

"No problem."

"Ok. So, are you ready Remus?"

"I guess so…" Remus said.

"This will be fun playing with 3 people for a change." Sirius said.

"Ok, here we go." James carefully opened the box and the three boys stuck their hands into the container and the game began.

About 30 rounds later, Remus had dropped out but James and Sirius were amazingly still going. How they managed to keep 30 jellybeans in their mouth at one time, Remus would never know. Nor would he know how each of their stomachs could hold the superfluous about of jellybeans they were receiving. It took James and Sirius a good 30 seconds to chew and swallow their mouthfuls. They were on the fourth container, but both looked as though they were willing to fight to the end. After 10 more rounds, they were staring intently at each other.

"Give it up Potter. You'll never win."

"Oh I wouldn't be so sure Black."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah."

"Bring it on!" They shoved 41 jellybeans into their mouths at once. At this point, they had so many jellybeans in their mouths, that they couldn't close them. Remus was snickering uncontrollably at their faces, cheeks filled with jellybeans. There was a knock on the door and a pretty girl with red hair and big green eyes stood in the doorway.

"Excuse me…" She said shyly. James and Sirius broke eye contact to look at her. She burst into a fit of giggles at the two boys' full-of-jellybeans faces. James felt his heart skip a beat. He was so shocked by how pretty she was that he accidentally choked on an jellybean and spit the rest of his mouthful onto the floor. The girl jumped back, startled.

"Sorry! Sorry! I'm so sorry!" James croaked, still coughing from the jellybean. Sirius looked like he was about to choke as well, but his was coming from laughing at James. Finally he managed to chew and swallow his mouthful.

"Yes! I win! I am King Bertie!" He exclaimed victoriously as he jumped up and threw his arms over his head.

"What?" The girl asked, eyeing them strangely.

"Bertie Botts' Every Flavor Bean eating contest." Remus explained.

"Oh…Well, I was just wondering if you know how much longer we have until we reach Hogwarts." She said.

"No. It can't be too much longer though. It's starting to get dark." Remus told her.

"Ok. Thank you." She said as she turned to leave.

"Wait!" James, who had been cleaning up his mess, called to her. She turned around. "What's your name?" He asked.

The girl studied him before saying, "Lily. Lily Evans."

"Lily…I like that." James said with a smile.

"Thanks." She smiled and started walking back to their compartment. "Who are you?"

"James Potter, at your service." James said charmingly.

"Sirius Black, but for today I am King Bertie." Lily giggled.

"I'm Remus Lupin."

"It's nice to meet you all." Lily said.

"The pleasure is ours." James gushed. "Are you a first year?"

"Yes."

"Great! So are we!"

Lily smiled. "Well, I better be getting back to my compartment. I told Alice that I would tell her if we were almost there. See you later."

"See you." James stared after her dreamily.

"James?"

No answer.

"James?"

No answer.

"JAMES!" Sirius yelled.

"What?" James snapped back to reality. Sirius had a huge smirk on his face.

"What was all that about?" He asked.

"What?"

"Don't 'what' me Potter. You know perfectly well what."

"No I-"

"You like her!"

"No I don't."

"Yes you do."

"No I don't."

"Liar. You couldn't stop goggling at her." James blushed.

"Did you see how beautiful she was? Do you blame me?"

"James, you're 11 years old. A bit young to be using words like beautiful, don't you think?" Sirius asked.

"Well, maybe, but…did you see her eyes? I've never seen eyes like that…"

"Oh Merlin James! If you're going to be talking about romance for the rest of the trip, I'm going to go sit with Snivellus, or whatever his name was."

"Severus, wasn't it?" Remus asked.

"I don't know…I kinda like Snivellus." James said grinning evilly. "It suits him…"

"Yeah, especially with that beak!" Sirius let out a bark of laughter. James sniggered as well. .

"And what was with his hair anyway?" James asked through his laughter. "It looked like he'd gone and stuck his head in a grease bucket!"

Remus fought to hide his grin. He didn't like making fun of people. He knew what it was like to have people talk and whisper about him behind his back. And he knew how much it hurt. He was confused as it was usually him being talked about. In just a few hours, though, he had crossed the line of acceptance and was in the presence of those doing the talking. He wasn't sure how he felt about this, but he wasn't about to back out of a blossoming friendship. Though he couldn't help but think how James and Sirius would treat him as soon as they found out…

"Remus, hello?" Remus snapped back into reality as James waved his hand across his face.

"Sorry, what?"

"Do you spontaneously tune out all the time or was that a first?" Sirius joked.

"It wasn't a first." Remus smiled.

"Ok, just checking." Sirius said.

"Do you think we should start getting changed?" Remus asked.

"That's what we were just asking you while you were off in space." James told him.

"Oh."


	5. Sorting

As they filed off the train, Sirius was surprised to notice that his hands were shaking. He never got very nervous about anything, but he could feel the cold knot in his stomach and he felt like all the blood had rushed out of his head. He did not want to be a Slytherin, but deep down inside, he had a feeling that he was more than likely destined to become one. _So what if I am placed in Slytherin? Maybe it won't be so bad…maybe someone will be nice…I might even make friends there…oh who am I kidding? James and Remus will be in Gryffindor and I'll be stuck in a cold, dark, and dreary dungeon with my dear cousins. I won't do it! I will just _go_ to Gryffindor even if that stupid hat does decide to put me in Slytherin and no one can do anything about it! Or maybe I'll just camp out in the Forbidden Forest. How many dangerous things could be in there? Just centaurs and spiders and werewolves..._

"Fir's years! Fir's years over here!" Sirius, James, and Remus stared in awe at the giant man, who must've been over 9 feet tall, summoning them to small boats on the lake. "Right then. There'll be four ter a boat. No wrestlin' or shovin' each other overboard, unless yeh'd like to get acquainted with the giant squid that lives in the lake." The three boys looked at each other, eyes wide. They found themselves sharing a boat with a small, plump boy with watery eyes and mouse-colored hair. He seemed frightened of pretty much everything and didn't even look at them.

"Hey Sirius, would you like to go for a dip?" James joked.

"No thanks, but I bet Remus would." Sirius smiled, trying not to think about how nervous he still was.

"I'm not really in the mood right now, thanks." Remus said.

"Shame. How about you?" James asked the plump boy who looked utterly terrified at the thought of being in the lake with a giant squid.

"Y-y-you w-wouldn't really d-do that to me, w-w-would you?" He squeaked.

"No way. It was just a joke. Calm down." James eyed him in disbelief.

"You don't think that s-s-squid could reach up and g-grab one of us, d-do you?" He asked.

"Nah. Unless of course you have chicken in your pocket." James replied. The boy stared blankly at him. After a few seconds, James said, "Ok, I was kidding. What, you don't really have chicken in your pocket, do you?"

"N-n-no. But are you s-sure that thing w-won't-"

"Yes!" James cried exasperated.

"What? Yes you think it will reach up and-"

"No! Yes in the sense that it WON'T reach up and grab us!"

"Ok, good."

"How do you expect to survive here with all the ghosts and who knows what else if you can't even handle the thought of a giant squid that for all we know might not even be anywhere near us?" Sirius asked the boy.

"There are g-g-ghosts here?" The boy whimpered.

"Yeah…what did you think?"

"I-I thought that we w-w-would be safe."

"We will be safe!" James assured him. "Hogwarts is one of the safest, most well-protected places in all of Europe, if not the world!"

"And besides, Dumbledore is Headmaster." Sirius told him. "He wouldn't expose us to anything really dangerous." Sirius didn't notice the unreadable look that crossed Remus' pale, moonlit face.

"Ok…if you're s-s-sure."

"We're sure." James and Sirius said together.

"Can you say Hufflepuff?" James whispered in Sirius' ear. Sirius chuckled.

"Yeh'll be gettin' yer fir's glimpse 'o Hogwarts 'round this corner!" The giant yelled from somewhere behind them.

James felt his pulse roaring in his ear and his heart was pounding uncontrollably as they turned the corner and beheld a magnificent castle, brightly lit and glorious. James could feel excitement course through his body as he savored the feeling of seeing Hogwarts Castle for the very first time. He didn't have to look at Sirius and Remus to know that they were feeling the exact same thing he was.

Upon landing on shore, Sirius got his attention and pointed to the Forest. "Look at that!" He hissed. James felt his mouth drop for what felt like the tenth time that night.

"No way." He whispered. "Is that…"

"A Whomping Willow." Sirius completed his sentence in awe. "Hey Remus! Look!" Remus turned and looked.

"Oh wow…" He said quietly. The giant walked up the stairs and pounded on the front doors, which opened and a stern-faced witch who looked to be in her thirties stood in a pool of light.

"The fir's years, Professor McGonagall." The giant said.

"Thank you, Hagrid." She turned to the students. "Welcome, first years, to Hogwarts. If you will follow me, I will lead you to the Great Hall where you shall be sorted into one of the four houses: Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin. During your stay here at Hogwarts, your house will act as your family. Now this does not mean we discourage inter-house friendships."

"I just hope my house _isn't_ my family." Sirius muttered to James and Remus, as Professor McGonagall finished her lecture. She led them inside. None of the students were shocked to discover Hogwarts to be even more fascinating inside than out. She disappeared behind to large doors while the first years waited excitedly on the other side.

"Ah the Sorting Ceremony, always an exciting time. Doesn't it seem like it was only yesterday?" The students turned to see who had spoken. Half of them gasped as they saw two silvery ghosts gliding their way.

"Yes. Oh I love seeing new faces!" The second ghost said. "Hello there!" He smiled at the first years. "Welcome! I am the Fat Friar. Hope to see you in Hufflepuff!"

"No, you want to be in Gryffindor. I am the resident ghost, Sir Nicholas de Mimsy Porpington." The first ghost sank into a bow, holding his head in place.

"Nearly-Headless Nick!" James called out.

"Who said that?" Sir Nicholas looked about.

"My father told me all about you!" James grinned.

"Yes, well, I'd prefer it if you addressed me as Sir Nicholas de Mimsy Porpington."

"But that takes forever!" Sirius laughed.

"And that nickname that you call me doesn't?"

"Well, Nearly-Headless Nick is only 5 syllables. Sir Nicholas de Milly Pomington-"

"Mimsy Porpington!"

"Whatever. That is…" Sirius paused to count. "10 syllables. So it takes half the time to say Nearly-Headless Nick than it does to say-"

As a few girls giggled at his argument, or perhaps his handsomeness, the doors interrupted him and Professor McGonagall faced them. "The Ceremony is about to begin. Follow me." The first years followed her mutely into the Great Hall. Candles floated in midair along the four tables. At the end of the hall, there was a long table where all the Professors sat. In the middle sat a wizard with a long gray beard and moon-shaped spectacles on a crooked nose.

"Dumbledore." Remus whispered.

"My dad thinks he's destined to be the greatest Headmaster Hogwarts ever had." James said.

"I would agree. Then again anyone would be better than my great-great grandfather." Sirius added.

"What?" Remus asked.

"My great-great grandfather, Phineas Nigellus, Slytherin of course, was the most unpopular Headmaster Hogwarts ever had. What a surprise." Sirius explained as they reached the end of the Great Hall. There in front of the teachers' table was a stool with an ordinary-looking black wizard hat perched upon it.

"So that's the famous Sorting Hat." James said in a hushed voice. As he spoke, the hat seemed to rip at the seems as it burst into song.

"In a land not so far away

Yet very long ago

Lived the greatest wizards of the age

Quite respected and well-known.

Their story is the one I tell

So sit back and relax

For the Sorting will come soon enough

After you receive the facts.

Now Gryffindor the boldest was

Prized students only if

They were true of heart and brave of soul

And willing to take risks.

Ravenclaw, so wise and fair

Sought students who could learn

Who would work hard and receive

What they had rightly earned.

Then there was sweet Hufflepuff,

Not willing to pick fights,

To toil without complaining,

And always doing what is right.

Slytherin was unlike the rest,

Not caring, wise, or brave,

But power-hungry, prejudiced,

And stone cold beyond the grave.

Now that I have told you

How our Hogwarts was begun

Come and sit upon the stool

And let me be the one

To tell you where you belong

(I am quite good at that)

You're asking how am I to know?

I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat!"

After the applause died down, Professor McGonagall told them, "I will call your name alphabetically. You are to sit on the stool and I will place the Sorting Hat on your head and it will announce what house you are to be in. Abrams, Wilfred!"

A boy made his way to the stool. After a moment of consideration, the Sorting Hat called out, "RAVENCLAW!"

"Albertson, Caitlyn!"

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

"Black, Sirius!"

Sirius had never felt his heart beat harder than it was right now. He barely felt James pat him on the back, or heard Remus whisper, "Good luck." He was, however, aware of how many eyes were following him. Each mind thinking the same thing: _A Black. Destined for Slytherin, no doubt_. Sirius felt numb as he sat down on the stool. His legs and arms felt like jelly and he felt the stares of every person in the hall. As the hat was placed on his head, he heard a small voice in his ear.

"Ah, a Black eh? No doubt you would want to be in Slytherin like the rest of your family?"

_No! I don't want to be in Slytherin!_

"What's this? You don't want Slytherin? Well then, what do you want?"

_Gryffindor!_

"Gryffindor? You? This is unheard of. Why Gryffindor would be the last place I'd expect a member of your family to want to go. Even Hufflepuff would be more welcome to your family."

_I know and I don't care! I just have to be in Gryffindor!_

"I do see a bright mind in here, very bright. A taste for mischief, oh yes. I also see a fair amount of bravery and the thirst for adventure. All right boy, you've convinced me. GRYFFINDOR!"

"YES!" Sirius grinned as he heard James' shout of triumph. He was the only one. The rest of the hall was in silence, as the Muggle-borns had no idea why it was such a big deal for Sirius to have been placed in Gryffindor and the rest of the students were shocked that a Black had been sorted into Gryffindor. Sirius sat down at the Gryffindor table and grinned at his housemates, most of whom were staring open-mouthed at him, almost as if they were waiting for the punch-line of a joke. Sirius looked up at the teachers and saw Dumbledore's blue eyes twinkling at him. Sirius smiled, immensely satisfied at how surprised everyone seemed. He noticed his cousins Bellatrix and Narcissa scowling at him from the Slytherin table. Sirius didn't care. He was so relieved he could nearly jump for happiness. The silence was broken as the Sorting continued.

"Connor, Hilton!"

"RAVENCLAW!"

"Deaver, Elvin!"

"SLYTHERIN!"

"Evans, Lily!"

James caught Lily's eye and smiled at her as she nervously walked up to the stool.

"GRYFFINDOR!" Lily smiled at James as she walked over and joined Sirius at the Gryffindor table. He felt his heart skip a beat.

"Gudgeon, Davey!"

"RAVENCLAW!"

Remus stood, completely numb, as he waited to summoned up. His mind was fit to burst with what-if questions. What if the Sorting Hat knew what he was? What if monsters were put in Slytherin? What if it decided he shouldn't be in a house and sent him to live by himself? What if he was sent home? What if this had all been one big mistake and Dumbledore didn't really know what he was after all? What if James and Sirius found out?

"Longbottom, Frank!"

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

What if he had never gone into that forest in the first place…?

"Lupin, Remus!" Remus was unaware how much time had gone by as he had sorted through his what-ifs. He swallowed hard and uneasily made his way to the stool. James had whispered, "See you in Gryffindor." Remus wasn't so sure. As he sat down, Professor McGonagall cast him a worried look and whispered, "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine." Remus tried to smile, but he was too nervous. He must've looked as pale as he felt. He also figured that she knew, being a teacher, what he was and how the full moon had only been a few nights ago. She placed the hat on his head.

"Well, well, well, you're unique, aren't you? Now where would be an appropriate place for a werewolf?"

_Not Slytherin._

"No, you don't seem like the Slytherin type. Although it would be the ideal place for Dark creatures."

_I am _not_ a Dark creature. Don't call me that._

"Sorry, just stating the facts. Let's see, you have a kind heart, unusual for a werewolf. Many werewolves feel as if they are being punished for something, so their hearts are full of anger and spite. What makes you different?"

_Am I not the only one here?_

"I did not mean to give you that impression. You are indeed the only one here."

_Then how would you know – _

"We're getting off topic. Back to the Sorting. I see that what you truly want is friendship, to be accepted, maybe Hufflepuff-"

_No! Gryffindor!_

"So you want Gryffindor? I do see a great deal of bravery in here, and your heart is very true and loyal to those who would be your friends. Oh and responsibility. Yes, I think that the perfect house for you is GRYFFINDOR!"

Remus sighed with relief. He went and sat down next to Sirius who clapped him hard on the back and nearly knocked the wind out of him. They both grinned up at James who sent them a thumbs-up in reply.

"Morris, Jane!"

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

"Nimble, Rob!"

"SLYTHERIN!"

"Pettigrew, Peter!"

James watched the fat boy from the boat make his way up to the stool, looking as though he were about to faint. James smirked as he thought_ I know he'll be in Hufflepuff. There's no chance he can make it to any other house. Hufflepuff. Let me hear it! Hufflepuff! Hufflepuff!_

"GRYFFINDOR!"

_WHAT! _James glanced over to Sirius and Remus whose faces wore the same expression of shock as James' as Peter sat down next to Lily and goggled at her. _Boy, you had better stay away from her_.

"Potter, James!"

"Finally." James muttered as he walked up and plopped himself down on the stool.

"Ah, James Potter. Proud descendent of Godric Gryffindor himself, eh?"

_Yep._

"And am I correct in assuming that you belong in Gryffindor?"

_Yep._

"Alright then…GRYFFINDOR!"

James looked quite pleased with himself, but not entirely shocked as he took his seat across from Sirius and Remus, next to Lily.

"Well Sirius, here we are. We did it mate!" James said with a humongous grin on his face.

"It's hard to believe." Sirius said, looking wistfully around the Great Hall.

"What?" Lily asked. James turned his full attention to her.

"Sirius and I have been waiting to come to Hogwarts since we were 6 and we both wanted-" He was interrupted by Nearly-Headless Nick clearing his throat, indicating to James that he shouldn't be talking.

"The Sorting is very important. Pay attention." He whispered.

"Why? All the people I care about have already been sorted." James said.

"That's not the point-"

"Snape, Severus!"

Sirius gave a loud false cough containing the word, "Snivellus!"

"Git." James muttered. For the first time, Lily cast him a disapproving look.

"SLYTHERIN!"

"Wow, there's a jaw-dropper." Sirius commented.

"What do you have against him?" Lily asked.

"We met him on the train." James explained. "He is one of those idiots out there who believe that only purebloods are worthy of the title 'wizard'."

"You mean, like, people with all magic families?" Lily asked, as her friend Alice joined the Gryffindor table.

"Yes. Are you…?"

"I don't have any magical relatives. My parents thought it was someone playing a cruel joke when I first got my letter. Then, when we were finally convinced it was real, they were very pleased. They thought it a wonderful opportunity. My sister, who's never liked me very much anyway, thinks I'm something of a freak now. She can't even stand to be in the same room as me."

"Who could not like you?" James asked, incredulous.

"Petunia."

"Your sister, I'm assuming?"

"Yes. I actually think she may be jealous. She's older than me so she won't be getting any letters telling her that she has magic powers. She'll just live an ordinary life while I get this fantastic adventure."

"This is actually pretty ordinary for wizards. But my parents said that their time here was the best of their lives." James told her.

"Yeah, because then they got married and had James. Good times, fare thee well!" Sirius teased.

"Shut up Sirius."

"So, it's no big deal for a wizard to receive their letter?" Lily asked.

"Well, it's not unexpected, but I did feel rather proud when I got it. Of course, we who do come from wizarding families are scared of not getting a letter, so it's actually somewhat of a relief."

"Why would you not get a letter?"

"There are rare cases when a Muggle will be born into a wizarding family. Kind of the opposite of you, you know, a Muggle-born witch."

"Wow, I don't know how I would feel if my entire family was magical and I wasn't."

"Well, Squibs, which is what they're called by the way, aren't 100 Muggle, like I think they can see dementors and supposedly the caretaker here is one, so he obviously knows where to find us."

"Who wouldn't know where to find us? This castle is huge!" Sirius broke away from his plate (the Sorting Ceremony was past over now and they had missed Professor Dumbledore's words of welcome, which included the words, "Tuck in!") and cut into their conversation.

"Yes, but it's bewitched so Muggles can't find it. I don't remember how Dad said it was." James tried to remember.

"My mum said that if a Muggle looks at Hogwarts, all they'll see is an old rotting building with a sign that says, 'danger, do not enter, unsafe'." Remus said.

"That's it!" James said.

"That's amazing!" Lily said. "I still can't believe I'm here."

"Neither can I. I mean, I wish I could see my parents' expressions when they hear I made Gryffindor!" Sirius grinned triumphantly.

"Why?" Lily asked.

"Well you see, there are some families, as James was telling you earlier, who believe that only those from pureblooded families should be allowed to come here to Hogwarts and my family happens to be one of the worst."

"But you're not like that." Lily said.

"I know, thank goodness." Sirius asked.

"How did you manage to escape the manipulation?" Remus asked.

"Well, when I was really young, before I met James, I guess I was around 3, there was no question in my mind whether my family was right. I believed every word they told me. But then one day, I accidentally got locked out of our house and my parents didn't know and my house, being bewitched with all sorts of anti-Muggle security spells, disappeared. Keep in mind that I was only 3 or something at the time. Anyway, I wandered down the street, hoping to find my house somewhere. I got lost and scared as any child would have. Then a Muggle lady who had been walking her dog stopped and asked me if I was lost. At first I didn't want to talk to her because she was a Muggle but then I realized that she was really nice and she would help me, so she took me back to her house and gave me some cookies."

"So that's why you changed your mind about Muggles. She fed you." James commented.

"Excuse me; I'm not finished with my story."

"Oh I'm so sorry, please continue." James said.

"I will. So anyway, she lived on my street so it was pretty easy for my parents to find me. Remember this was at the time before I became known as a blood-traitor. Back then, they still thought I would make the family proud, so they went looking for me. They hated going to Muggle houses, but they did. Finally they knocked on her door and I was there, happily eating cookies, safe as could be. They were furious that I had gone with her, but even more so when I told them that she was nice and asked why Muggles were bad. Things were never the same between my parents and me after that."

"Wow." Remus said.

"Yep. I guess someone up there has something bigger and better planned for me than being a heartless pureblood maniac."

"Yeah, instead they intended for you to just be a regular maniac." James said.

"You know James, I'd watch what I was saying if I was you. I feel the need to remind you that we will be sleeping in the same dormitory for the next seven years." Sirius said.

"Joy…" James muttered as Professor Dumbledore stood up. The feast was over.

"Welcome to another year at Hogwarts! To those of you who don't know me, I am Professor Dumbledore, your new Headmaster. To those who are returning, Professor Dippet wishes you the very best and will think of you while he is enjoying retirement in the Bahamas." Dumbledore paused while many students laughed and a few groaned. "Now before you head off to your dormitories, I have a few first of term notices. First off, you may have noticed a new and rather interesting plant that has found its way onto our grounds. It is a Whomping Willow and I advise you to stay away from it at all costs, unless of course you wish us to write to your parents explaining why they need to begin making funeral arrangements." Once again, students laughed, but a few first years looked around timidly, Peter included. "Secondly, first years are to note that the Forbidden Forest is strictly off limits to all students, and a few of our older students would do well to remember this as well. Tryouts for a place on the Quidditch House Teams will take place Friday evening, second years on up please. Finally, our caretaker, Mr. Filch kindly requests that no magic be performed in the hallways. If there are no more announcements, then I believe we will close. Prefects, if you would please show first years to the dormitories. Good night!"

James, Sirius, Remus, Lily, and Alice all chatted excitedly as they followed the prefects to the Gryffindor common room. As they made their way up the numerous staircases, a little man with a wicked grin on his face appeared out of thin air, grabbed Remus' nose, and screamed, "GOT YOUR CONK!" then began cackling hysterically.

"Peeves get out of here!" The prefect yelled. James, Sirius, Lily, Alice, and even Peter laughed at the startled expression on Remus' face.

Peeves took a deep breath and sighed. "I love the smell of firsties in the evening!"

"LEAVE THIS INSTANT OR I SHALL SUMMON THE BLOODY BARON!" The prefect shouted. Peeves blew a loud raspberry before zooming away.

"I apologize for Peeves. He's our resident poltergeist in case you hadn't figured that out. Only the Bloody Baron, the Slytherin ghost, can control him." The prefect, Willard Spinnet, told them. "Come along, this way." They soon reached a portrait of a fat lady. All those from Muggle families jumped as she asked, "Password?"

"Do all pictures move in the wizarding world?" Lily asked James.

"Of course. Do they not in the Muggle world?"

\"No."

"Weird!" Sirius exclaimed.

"Newts Eyes." Willard told the Fat Lady.

"Very good, very good." She said as the portrait swung open to reveal a small, circular opening. They climbed through to find themselves standing in a cozy, circular room with numerous comfy-looking chairs and couches, small rickety tables, and a fire glowing in the fireplace.

"Welcome to the Gryffindor Common Room. Here you may visit, do homework, study, whatever you need to do. Girls dormitories are up the stairs and to your right, boys to the left. There will be signs signifying which year to which room. Any questions?" After a pause, Willard continued, "Well then, good night. I'm sure you will like to get situated in your dormitories." After saying goodnight to the Lily and Alice, the four boys headed up to their dormitory. Inside were four four-poster beds and their luggage.

"This is nice." James said looking around as Sirius heaved himself onto the bed nearest to the door.

"These are comfy." He said happily.

"OK, I guess Sirius has already found his bed." James said. After a few minutes, James had claimed the bed next to Sirius', Peter's was on the other side of the door, and Remus' was right next to the window.

"Remmy got the bed with the view." Sirius said.

"Remmy?" Remus smiled amusedly at his new nickname.

"Yes." Sirius said.

"I wish they let first years try out for the Quidditch teams!" James groaned.

"Poor James." Sirius said.

"Maybe I'll just try out anyway. I could pass for a second year, right?"

"I'm not sure…" Remus said. "Wouldn't they figure out that you were only a first year?"

"I don't know."

"Besides, you don't even have a broom. We're not allowed, remember?" Sirius said.

"Yeah." James said sadly. His mood lightened. "But I do have this." He reached into his trunk and pulled something out.

"What's that?" Peter asked.

"This, Peter, is an-"

"INVISIBILITY CLOAK! Merlin, James, where did you get that?" Sirius asked in wonder.

"My father gave it to me right before we left for Kings Cross."

"You bloody idiot! You didn't even bother to tell me about it?"

"I forgot."

"Oh yeah, really easy thing to forget about."

"I believe we can have some very fun times with this cloak." James said, a mischievous grin spreading across his face.

"Imagine all the things we could do with this! This year is going to be wicked!" Sirius said excitedly.

"Speaking of wicked, that Peeves is something else. Are you ok after that whole experience Remus?" James asked. Remus, who had been staring out the window at the waning moon, turned to face them.

"Huh? Yeah, I'm fine."

"Are you ok now? You look a bit peaky." Sirius said, realizing that he had looked rather ill all day.

"I'm fine. I'm just tired." He said. For the first time, James and Sirius noticed dark circles under his eyes, but then again, after the excitement of arriving at Hogwarts, they could very well have circles under their eyes too.

"I am too. I didn't really notice until you said that." Sirius said, yawning.

They changed into their pajamas, exchanged goodnights, and fell into their beds. Remus lay in bed, barely awake, but just enough to think about how lucky he was, hardly daring to believe it. But before he fell asleep, his heart gave a small jump as he remembered they had not yet found out about his Lycanthropy. When they found out, how would they react? Before he could contemplate farther, he fell asleep.


	6. Wake up Call

Sirius opened his eyes slowly to find a face barely 5 inches away from his. He gasped, startled, "Sweet Merlin James! Don't do that!" James started howling with laughter as Sirius tried to calm his pounding heart. "You scared me to death you bloody git!" James kept laughing.

"Good morning to you too. Ready for out first day?"

"After that wake up, I'd say I'm ready for anything." Sirius said accusingly.

"Yeah, I'm surprised you didn't wake Remus."

"Now how come you let him sleep but you had to wake me up?"

"Because annoying you is more fun."

"What about Peter?"

"Ooh, forgot about him…" James and Sirius smiled at each other, conjured up a bucket of icy water (Mr. Potter had taught them a few tricks before coming to Hogwarts), and tiptoed over to Peter's bed.

"May I?" Sirius asked.

"I'd be insulted if you didn't." James replied. Fit to burst with laughter, Sirius poured the icy water all over Peter's head. He let out a high pitched squeal and jumped out of bed, completely soaked.

"Good morning Peter." Sirius said with a grin. Peter just stood startled and shivering, staring at them.

"Did you sleep well?" James asked.

"W-w-w-what was that f-f-f-for?" Peter asked.

"We don't know. But it was fun." Sirius said brightly.

"What's going on?" Remus called sleepily from his bed.

"Good morning Remmy!" James called. Remus pulled opened his curtains surrounding his bed, his light brown hair tousled. He rubbed his eyes and looked at them.

"Peter, you're all wet." He said. James and Sirius laughed.

"Fine grasp you have of the obvious Remmy." Sirius said.

"Did everyone sleep well?" James asked.

"I had a really weird dream about being chased around the castle by a giant Bertie Botts container…" Sirius said.

"You are so _weird_." James told his best friend.

"Well then, I'm in good company, eh Jamsie?"

"Don't call me Jamsie you git."

"Prat."

"Flobberworm."

"Snivellus."

"Ooh…that's low."

"Ha! I win! I am better than you at _everything_!"

"Are not!"

"Am to!"

"Are not!"

"Am to!"

As they continued to argue, Remus stared on at them, wondering if every morning would be like this.

"Hey, does anyone want to go down to breakfast?" Remus offered.

"I do!" Sirius yelled and bolted for the bathroom to change.

"Wait a minute, who says you get to go first?" James yelled.

"I'm older than you!" Sirius yelled back through the door.

"By two bloody weeks!"

"Still older!"

"Well, what if Remus is older than you?"

"When is your birthday Remus?" Sirius called, still from behind the door.

"March 10." He replied.

"What'd he say James?"

"March 10." James said.

"I'm older!"

"Maybe Peter is older."

"When's your birthday, Peter?" Sirius called.

"October 13." He shivered.

"October 13." James told the door.

"Ooh…you're older than me. Oh well. I'm taller!"

"You're also louder." James muttered.

"What was that Potter?"

"Nothing!"

Remus had to admit, he never thought that they would actually make it down to breakfast, but miraculously they did. They settled just as the morning post arrived. Hundreds of owls flooded into the Great Hall, making many first years gasp. Remus and James each received words of congratulations from their parents. Sirius, however, received something slightly less rewarding.

"Oh yeah…knew this was coming." He stated as his family owl dropped a scarlet envelope in front of him.

"Well done Sirius! Not even here for 24 hours and you're already in trouble! I'm so proud of you." James fake sobbed onto Sirius' shoulder.

"What's that?" Remus asked, swallowing his mouthful of toast.

"What's that he asks." James snickered. "Clearly, Remus, you have always been a good little boy."

"Why?"

"This, my new friend, is a Howler." Sirius smirked.

"Oh, _that's_ a Howler? I've never seen one." Remus said.

"Ah little Remmy, so young…so innocent." Sirius said with an air of one who had experienced all life had to offer. "We're going to have to perform some nice, old fashioned corruption."

"You better hurry up and open that mate, it's starting to smoke." James noted.

"Right then. May I have a drum roll, please?"

James banged on the table repeatedly as Sirius took a deep breath and dramatically tore open the smoking envelope.

"HOW DARE YOU BETRAY YOUR FAMILY, YOU FILTHY LITTLE BLOOD TRAITOR! **_GRYFFINDOR?_** YOU HAVE SINGLE-HANDEDLY PERMANENTLY SOILED THE NAME OF BLACK!"

Sirius smirked and patted himself on the back.

"I AM POSITIVELY APPALLED! YOU SHOULD BE WRITHING WITH SHAME, AS I AM! YOUR FATHER AND I ALWAYS WONDER WHERE WE WENT WRONG WITH YOU! I LIKE TO THINK THAT WE RAISED YOU PROPERLY, BUT YOU HAVE ALWAYS HAVE BEEN AND ALWAYS WILL BE A DISGRACE TO OUR NOBLE HOUSE!"

Sirius yawned.

"REGULUS WOULD NEVER DREAM OF ASSOCIATING HIMSELF WITH MUGGLE-LOVING SCUM LIKE THAT POTTER BOY! WHAT'S WORSE, NOW YOU'LL BE SURROUNDED BY WRETCHED MUDBLOODS AS WELL! REMEMBER, YOU BROUGHT THIS UPON YOURSELF! DON'T COME CRAWLING BACK TO ME WHEN YOU REALIZE YOU'VE MADE A TERRIBLE MISTAKE!"

Mrs. Black's shrieks finally ceased and the envelope burst into flames. Sirius was staring at where it had been; his face absolutely emotionless. "Sorry about that, James."

"Don't worry about it mate, I've known her for five years now." James said.

"So Remus, what do you think of my mum?" He asked.

Remus had no idea what to say. He was shocked. Until this very moment, he had always considered himself to be the most unfortunate person he knew. Now he wasn't so sure. Behind Sirius' confident attitude, cocky sense of humor, and intimidating good looks, was an eleven-year-old boy who had suffered as much as, if not more than, he had. Although Remus had had more than his fair share of trouble, both his parents had always loved him more than anything. He couldn't imagine being so immensely disliked by a person who was supposed to be his mother. The only time he had ever been reprimanded was when he was three and had taken his fathers wand and tossed into the lake near his house. He smiled at the memory, remembering how he had been pretending that it was a boat. That particular memory took place three months before that fateful night. That time seemed so long ago.

"It's alright, you don't have to answer. I know she's a horrible old hag." Sirius said.

"I – I had no idea…I'm really sorry Sirius." Remus said softly.

"It's not your fault. You have nothing to be sorry for. I just don't want this to change what you think of me, because I promise I'm not anything like her."

"I know you're not." Remus told him sincerely.

Sirius smiled, relieved. However he noticed Peter, who was seated a few places down, was staring at him, pale and wide-eyed.

"I don't like that kid." Sirius muttered to James and Remus.

"He's our age, stupid." James said, trying to lighten the mood.

"I know…but there's just something about him that bothers me."

"He bothers you? We're the ones who dumped ice water on him this morning, remember?"

"Well yeah, but the way he looks is really annoying."

"Well you know Sirius, not everyone can be as physically attractive as us."

"True…" Sirius sighed jokingly, running a hand through his elegant black hair. "I guess we're just too dashing for our own good."

As Remus snickered, Professor McGonagall came up behind him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Good morning boys."

"Good morning Professor." They responded as one.

"I trust you had a good first night?"

"Very good."

"Excellent." She replied. "Lupin, if you're finished, I would like to have a few words with you."

Remus nodded and rose to follow her. James went back to his meal but Sirius looked interested.

"What did he do?" He asked with a smile

"Lupin is not in trouble, Mr. Black. This will only take a few minutes." Remus followed her to a statue of a Phoenix. The stepped onto a stair case and Professor McGonagall said, "Fizzing Whizzbees." Remus felt confused for a moment, wondering if she was offering him candy. Then the staircase came to life and he found himself standing in the office of Albus Dumbledore.

"Ah, Remus. Good to see you."

"Hello Sir." He said timidly.

"Thank you Professor McGonagall." Professor Dumbledore said. "So Remus, how was your first night here?"

"It was wonderful, Sir. Thank you."

"Not at all, not at all. I hope you have felt most welcome."

"I have."

"I see that you have made friends with Mr. Potter and Mr. Black."

"Yes."

"I must admit, I was pleasantly surprised when young Mr. Black made Gryffindor. Never thought we'd see that, eh Minerva?"

"Never. A Black in Gryffindor, I never would have dreamt it."

"Indeed. Now Remus, I assume you know why you are here." Dumbledore turned back to Remus.

"I'm a – My…"

"Yes, your condition. You may recall my announcement to the students about the Whomping Willow that has been planted on these grounds."

"Yes Sir."

"Well, that Whomping Willow has been planted for your use. There is a tunnel that begins at the base of the tree and leads to a building in Hogsmeade. I believe you will be safe there. When the time comes, you will Madam Pomfrey will meet you in the hospital and she will escort you to the Willow. She will also be waiting for you the next morning. Do you have any questions?"

"Yes…How will I get past the Whomping Willow into the tunnel? Aren't they dangerous?"

"That's why it's there, to keep others out. All you have to do is prod the not on the tree with a stick and it will freeze long enough for you to climb safely into the tunnel. "Any more questions?"

"The teachers…do they…"

"Yes, they all know. I must advise you not to take advantage of your situation, Remus. Don't expect teachers to go easy on you just because of your special circumstances."

"Oh! I didn't expect them to! I don't want them to! I want to be treated like I'm a normal student."

Dumbledore smiled. "And you are, Remus. You are."


	7. First day

"So, what did McGonagall want?" James asked as soon as Remus returned.

"Schedule issues."

"Speaking of…" Sirius said as first-year schedules were passed down the table.

"Let's see, what do we have here?" James wondered, looking over his schedule. "Monday…Charms first…"

"Double History right before lunch. Agh! I think I'm going to die." Sirius cried miserably.

"Herbology after lunch…" Remus noted.

"A class about plants. I can't wait." Sirius said dryly.

"And to end this lovely day, Double Potions with our dear friends, the Slytherins." James said.

"Oh no." Remus moaned.

"I know, class with Snivellus. Lucky us." Sirius remarked.

"No…I really hate Potions." Remus said.

"Ah come on, it'll be easy." James said. "All you have to do is pour junk into a cauldron and stir it."

"No…I am a really bad Potion brewer. My mum once tried to teach me to make a Potion to cure my dad's headache and he ended up sprouting eggplants out of his ears. Thus, I lost all confidence at Potion brewing." Remus said. James chuckled and Sirius gave a loud bark of laughter.

As they headed to Charms, Peeves the Poltergeist turned up again.

"Hello there, ickle firsties." He grinned evilly. Remus' hand automatically flew to his nose.

"Hey, Peeves." Sirius grinned. Peeves pulled out what appeared to be an eraser and pelted it at James, hitting him square in the forehead.

"Ow! What was that for?" James asked, slightly irritated.

In response, Peeves cackled, turned upside down, looked at them from between his feet, and blew a long wet raspberry. Then he looked at Remus, who was still holding his nose. Peeves blinked before another wicked grin split his face. "What's the matter little Lupin? Are you scared of nasty old Peevsey?" Without waiting for an answer, Peeves broke into song, "Loony, loopy Lupin! Loony, loopy Lupin!"

"Peeves, leave these first years _alone_." Nearly-Headless Nick appeared.

"Nicky!" Peeves cried fondly, reaching his arms out as if asking for a hug.

"Urgh…" Nick pulled a disgusted face as Peeves grabbed him around the waste. "I'm sorry, you'll just have to get used to him."

"It's alright." Sirius said.

"Well, you three best get along to class. Don't want to be late your first day!" Nick said happily.

They headed down the hall to Professor Flitwick's room.

"Boy, that Peeves really knows how to get on someone's nerves." James grumbled.

"No joke." Remus agreed.

Sirius meanwhile was singing, "Loony, loopy Lupin…Loony, loopy Lupin."

"Shut up!" James cried.

"Right! Sorry Remmy."

To be continued…


End file.
